Road closures a challenge for first responders

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A busy portion of State Road 23 closed Monday in South Bend for the next thirty days. Emergency responders have to plan ahead during road projects in order to find their way around the closed roads, and backed up traffic.

State Road 23 will be closed between Twyckenham Drive and the 5 points intersection on Eddy Street for about a month.

While SR23 is closed both Clay and South Bend fire departments have officers go out to the construction sites daily to check the access and talk to supervisors. That way they can see if the site has changed.

Then they notify their staff.

They say it’s a team effort to keep everyone in the department in the loop.

Dave Cherrone, the Clay Fire Marshal had this advice for fellow drivers.

"Follow the direction that those signs say. If they have detours, follow the detours and even though you should always be aware just pay a little bit more attention,” said Cherrone.

The South Bend Fire Department says if there was an emergency they should be able to access everything in the area in the same amount of time.